Instructor Spotlight: Abigail Raines, SLP & AAC Specialist

At UCP of Central Florida, supporting students with complex communication needs goes far beyond evaluation. It requires consistency, collaboration, and a deep understanding of how communication fits into every part of a student’s day. That is where Abigail Raines has focused her work.

Abigail joined UCP in 2018 as a school-based speech-language pathologist. Through her work in classrooms, she saw firsthand the challenges teams face when trying to implement Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in meaningful, sustainable ways. Since 2022, she has served as the AAC Specialist across all eight UCP campuses, helping to bring greater alignment and clarity to how AAC supports are delivered.

In her current role, Abigail conducts comprehensive AAC evaluations for students with a wide range of complex communication needs. Her work is not limited to identifying tools or systems. She focuses on ensuring that communication supports are functional, individualized, and embedded into everyday routines.

A key part of Abigail’s approach is building the capacity of the adults who support each student. She provides ongoing training, coaching, and professional development for therapists, teachers, campus teams, and families. This emphasis on shared understanding helps move AAC from a specialized service to a consistent part of instruction and interaction throughout the school day.

Collaboration is central to her work. Abigail partners closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure AAC strategies are implemented across environments, not just in isolated sessions. By aligning communication supports with classroom routines, she helps create more opportunities for students to actively participate in learning and social interactions.

Abigail is especially passionate about early intervention and team-based practice. Her work reflects a clear focus on helping students build functional communication skills that support independence and engagement across settings.

Through her work with UCP Institute, Abigail brings this same practical, team-centered perspective to educators and school leaders. Her approach emphasizes not just what AAC is, but how to implement it effectively in real classrooms with real students.